Portrait Photography: Tips for better portraits

by John Eva

For anyone who is interested in becoming a portrait photographer it is important to know that a good portrait photograph has to capture the essence of who the subject is. To be able to achieve this, the photographer has to have the ability to get the correct exposure, accurately focus on the subjects face and also have the right equipment. Here are some things to keep in mind when doing portrait photography.

The first thing to give careful thought about is the equipment you will need to use to take portrait photographs. You can start off with a basic 35mm camera and there are many options to choose from on the market. Get one that you are comfortable with and that has the specification you desire. Many portrait photographers prefer those that use film over the digital cameras. Film it is said captures softer skin tones. Yet many other photographers prefer digital cameras because they can do more with the picture and these cameras can also take a vast amount of pictures. If you choose to have your own digital darkroom, be prepared to spend a tidy sum to have it done.

You will need lenses for the camera with focal length between 85mm to 135mm. These focal lengths give the portrait photographer the ability to get full frames when shooting from distance and they also lessen the occurrence of perspective distortion. Other equipment that you will need to do portrait photography include, studio lights, a reflector to bounce light rays, cable release to keep the camera from moving during the shoot, and an exposure meter to calculate exposure.

For professional looking photographs it is important that there not be too many things in the picture. This is also true when doing someone portrait. Therefore get rid of anything in the background or around the subject that may crowd the picture and that does not need to be there. The photograph must focus on the subjects face and not take away from it in any way. If you are unable to totally control the environment then you should move the subject to a position where there is little or no clutter. When taking the picture it is best to focus as best as you can on the subjects eyes. By focusing on the subjects eyes you will normally end up with a good picture. It manners little whether or not other things around is focused on, the eyes is where the portrait photographer should put his attention.

Experienced photographers who do portrait photography advise that it is best when taking the picture to blur the background. For those who use a point and shoot camera there may be a feature on it that can offer assistance with this all you will need to do is to put the camera in portrait mode. For those who have a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera it is best to employ a large aperture setting, and this also applies for those who take shots with their camera in manual or semi-manual mode.
These are a few of the things to keep in mind when doing portrait photography. They will help any portrait photographer to produce better and more inspired portraits.


Written on behalf of Mar Anderson Photography http://www.photoarte.co.uk
London Portrait Photographer

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